Is an online master's degree valid in Germany?

There is no general yes or no: how an online master's degree is treated in Germany depends on the awarding institution's anabin status, the rating of the degree type and who is asking for it (a university, an employer or an authority).

#What to look at in anabin

• Institution status (Institutionen): H+ means the institution is regarded as a higher-education institution. It only means the degree can undergo an equivalence assessment, not that it is automatically recognised. H+/- institutions are assessed separately; H- institutions are not regarded as higher-education institutions.
• Degree type (Hochschulabschlüsse → Abschlusstypen): ratings such as "entspricht", "gleichwertig" or "bedingt vergleichbar" are not a recognition decision either.

#For a PhD or another master's

The university decides on admission and checks your degree individually; it may ask ZAB.

#For jobs and visas

A ZAB Statement of Comparability places a foreign higher-education degree in the German system and is used for visas and the EU Blue Card, by employers (e.g. the public sector) and by authorities. It costs €208 and usually takes about 3 months. It gives no admission rights, and regulated professions such as medicine, teaching or law need recognition by the competent body.

#Practical step

Check the institution and the degree type in anabin before you enrol. anabin is not complete; binding information comes only from the competent Land offices.

Source: anabin Institutionen · ZAB Statement of Comparability